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鲛 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
鲛jiāosharkg, 14 strokes, radical 鱼, rank #46158, Very Hard
jiāo(jiao1) T1
  1. 1shark
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

鲛(鮫)jiāo(jiao1)

The character 鲛 (jiāo) refers specifically to a type of shark, often used in literary or poetic contexts. It may also be associated with the legendary 'jiāo' fish, which is depicted in folklore as mystical and connected to water deities, emphasizing its cultural significance in Chinese mythology.

Strokes14Radical鱼Frequency#46158DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note

In Chinese mythology, the 鲛 fish is often associated with water spirits and can symbolize power and ferocity, reflecting the reverence for sea creatures in traditional stories. This connection emphasizes the importance of sharks in both the ecosystem and cultural narratives.

Memory Tip

Imagine a sleek, powerful shark swimming gracefully through the ocean. The character 鲛 has the radical for fish (鱼) at its bottom, indicating its aquatic nature. Think of the 'jiāo' sound as a whispering wave, and visualize the shark gliding silently beneath the surface.

Meanings of 鲛

jiāo(jiao1)
1shark
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 鲛

鲛Simplified
鮫Traditional
14Strokes
鱼Radical
语素morpheme (morph.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 鲛

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Podcast: 鲛

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AI Study Notes for 鲛

Usage Notes

While 鲛 is not commonly used in everyday conversation, it's important to use it in literary or descriptive contexts. Learners might confuse it with other fish-related terms; remember that 鲛 specifically denotes a shark, while 鱼 (yú) is the general term for fish.

HSK Study Tips

As 鲛 is not included in the HSK vocabulary lists, it is beneficial for learners at higher levels to explore its usage in literature or historical texts. Students should also focus on recognizing the radical components that indicate it belongs to the aquatic family of words.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 鲛 with other fish-related characters like 魚 (yú), leading to incorrect usage. For example, saying '我喜欢吃鲛' (wǒ xǐ huān chī jiāo) to mean 'I like to eat sharks' is less common; instead, one might refer to specific types of fish.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 鲛

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Etymology of 鲛

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Memory Hint

fish

Semantic (meaning)鱼
+
Phonetic (sound)交
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 鲛

  1. 1The meaning half鱼 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half交 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayfish
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 鲛? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 鲛?

Decomposition of 鲛

IDS Structure⿰鱼交
鲛Full Character
=
鱼Yu2
left
交jiao1
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 鲛?

How to say shark in Chinese

“shark” in Chinese is鲛jiāo

The character 鲛 (jiāo) refers specifically to a type of shark, often used in literary or poetic contexts. It may also be associated with the legendary 'jiāo' fish, which is depicted in folklore as mystical and connected to water deities, emphasizing its cultural significance in Chinese mythology.

When to use 鲛

While 鲛 is not commonly used in everyday conversation, it's important to use it in literary or descriptive contexts. Learners might confuse it with other fish-related terms; remember that 鲛 specifically denotes a shark, while 鱼 (yú) is the general term for fish.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 鲛 with other fish-related characters like 魚 (yú), leading to incorrect usage. For example, saying '我喜欢吃鲛' (wǒ xǐ huān chī jiāo) to mean 'I like to eat sharks' is less common; instead, one might refer to specific types of fish.

Write 鲛

鲛

Practice writing 鲛 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 鲛

Words Containing This Character3
鲛jiāoshark鮫
马鲛鱼Japanese Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus niphonius)馬鮫魚
鲛鱼shark鮫魚
Exercise 1 of 3

Compound Meaning

What does 鲛 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 鲛

No, 鲛 is more commonly found in literary contexts rather than in everyday speech.

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Not sure what to learn after 鲛?

Jason picks three words from your level and explains why each one is worth your time next. It takes a free account so he knows what you already know.